Muddled

The Third Concubine naturally refused to say.

She was worried about Gu Anfang.

"So what do you think?" Gu Wanning asked.

"I... I don't know either."

Gu Wanning took her hand, "What else are you worried about?"

"It's easy to be in one place, but what if in the future, they become like the Prince of Qin and his Consort of the Prince of Qin?"

"You have your concerns, but don't let a small one cause you the entire problem. Just ask yourself if you like my third brother. We can talk about the rest later. At worst, you can follow my example and not get married, and just live together."

Third Concubine shook her head. "You're not close to the Gu family, so you can choose whichever you want. But if another Third Master emerges, I'm worried... I'm worried it will affect the Gu family's next generation's marriage prospects."

Gu Wanning: "... You're overthinking it. As long as the Gu family's reputation remains strong, we're not short of people willing to marry into the family."

"I know that, but I don't want to affect the Gu family because of me. I can't offer anything, and I don't want to be a burden to the Gu family and Third Master."

So she'll either marry or not marry; she won't choose Gu Wanning's path.

Gu Wanning fully understands and respects this.

Everyone has the right to choose their own lifestyle.

"Let me think about it some more, and have a little more time," said the Third Concubine.

"Um."

"Don't talk about me," the Third Concubine said again, "Rongrong seems to be going quite smoothly."

Second Concubine has almost completely emptied her family's pockets.

This was not the outcome she wanted.

But they pushed her, step by step, until we got to where we are now.

Successful yet tragic.

Chapter 280 Incompetence

The newly arrived Shi was gentle and attentive to Jin Huayu, making Jin completely smitten.

At the same time, she couldn't wait to start trying to exclude her Second Concubine from the Jin family's business.

She was wary of her formidable sister-in-law, but after testing her, she discovered that her sister-in-law seemed disheartened and unwilling to manage the shop anymore.

That's wonderful!

Shi was pleased with herself, thinking that her sister-in-law had finally come to her senses.

She reached into the shop, becoming increasingly brazen.

Little did she know that her Second Concubine had to grit her teeth so hard every day that she could control herself from scolding her.

Both women were secretly plotting something, but Jin Huayu was the only fool, immersed in Shi's gentle embrace, while also relieved that his sister had finally stopped "causing trouble."

Although the Second Concubine did not confront Shi directly, her behind-the-scenes actions never stopped.

Another almost identical shop quietly opened in a remote part of the Capital, gradually eroding the Jin family's business.

The Second Concubine showed no joy whatsoever for her "success".

The younger brother didn't know that this secluded shop was where his great-grandfather started from scratch.

She seemed to be following the same path as her great-grandfather.

However, with her resources and connections, she navigated this path much more smoothly than her great-grandfather.

The more successful her business became, the deeper the rift between her and her brother seemed to grow.

Moreover, there is no sign that this ditch has been filled in.

Jin Huayu was madly in love with Shi. Under her subtle hints, he bought her many valuable things, such as silks, satins, gold and silver jewelry, and even bought property for her aunt.

Jin Huayu seemed somewhat guilty about this.

However, he was overwhelmed by Shi's tearful outburst.

He spent eight thousand taels of silver to buy a shop and a four-courtyard mansion for Shi's concubine.

The matter was done behind the Second Concubine's back.

The thought of spending such a large sum of money, and knowing that his sister would find out sooner or later, gave Jin Huayu an urge to escape reality.

He was afraid of his older sister.

If only my older sister were as gentle as my wife.

No wonder my sister can't get married; with her strong personality, who would like her?

He even couldn't help but think that if his sister were a little gentler, perhaps the Marquis would be the one who liked her and doted on her.

He was ridiculed by several people because of his sister's return.

He felt he was being very sensible and didn't mention it to his sister, although he felt quite disappointed.

Wherever he went before, did people not look at him with any respect because of his connection to the Marquis of Yingchuan's Residence?

What about now?

Completely different.

My sister said that she and Lady Hou had a very good relationship.

But that's still a layer away, and if people say it out loud, they'll think he's bragging and trying to force a connection.

Why.

Jin Huayu felt distressed whenever he thought about these things.

My sister said business is no worse than before.

But he could no longer enjoy that feeling of being fawned over.

This is something my sister doesn't understand.

Only Shi would gently comfort and console him.

Therefore, it's only right that he treats the Shi better, Jin Huayu thought.

He seemed to have found the courage to tell his sister that he had used some of the money from the shop to buy it.

"Buy a shop? Open another shop? That's a good idea," the Second Concubine said casually.

Jin Huayu's face turned completely red.

No matter how much mental preparation he did before coming, he could never overcome the sense of awe he felt in front of this elder sister who was like a mother to him.

"Yes, yes, it's for her aunt," Jin Huayu said, bowing his head.

His gaze fell on the purse at his waist.

The purse was embroidered with mandarin ducks with intertwined necks; it was embroidered for him by Shi, who stayed up all night to do so, and it contained sachets to refresh and invigorate him.

Shi encouraged him to study.

The emperor is enlightened and selects talents without being bound by convention. Therefore, although merchants still do not have a high social status in this dynasty, they will not be prohibited from taking the imperial examinations.

Shi said that they were not short of money, but they had no status and would always be bullied.

So she advised Jin Huayu to focus his main attention on his studies.

She is an excellent encourager.

She said, "Just think of this as an ignorant child's enlightenment. If we study diligently for ten years, we'll surely be able to pass the imperial examinations and achieve some success."